Systems and methods for automated teller drawer counting and balancing

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and apparatuses using a processor coupled to a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions. The processor is structured to count a first amount of currency, wherein the first amount of currency is the actual amount of currency received by a teller money drawer, receive an indication of a second amount of currency, wherein the second amount of currency is an expected amount of currency, compare the first amount of currency to the second amount of currency, discover a discrepancy between the first amount of currency and the second amount of currency, and transmit discrepancy information to be displayed on a teller computing device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/317,389 entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATED TELLER DRAWERCOUNTING AND BALANCING”, filed Apr. 1, 2016, incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field ofcurrency counting and balancing.

BACKGROUND

Financial institutions desire to efficiently and accurately determinewhen discrepancies in the expected currency and the actual currency inteller drawers and/or vaults occur. Traditionally, at the end of ashift, tellers at financial institutions reconcile the teller drawerswith the transactions that were processed during their respective shift.In a conventional system, the tellers must recount the currency in theteller drawers by hand, having to recount each time a discrepancybetween the actual amount of currency and the expected amount ofcurrency is found. Counting and recounting currency by hand isinaccurate and inefficient and thus, in addition to wasting time,currency discrepancies may never be discovered.

SUMMARY

A first example embodiment relates to a system. The system includes acurrency counting device and a processing circuit. The processingcircuit is communicably coupled to the currency counting device. Theprocessing circuit includes a processor and memory. The memory isstructured to store instructions that are executable by the processorand cause the processing circuit to cause a first amount of currency tobe counted by the currency counting device, wherein the first amount ofcurrency is the actual amount of currency received by a teller moneydrawer, receive an indication of a second amount of currency, whereinthe second amount of currency is an expected amount of currency, comparethe first amount of currency to the second amount of currency, discovera discrepancy between the first amount of currency and the second amountof currency, and transmit discrepancy information to be displayed on ateller computing device.

Another example embodiment relates to a method. The method includescounting, by a currency counting circuit, a first amount of currency,wherein the first amount of currency is the actual amount of currencyreceived by a teller money drawer, receiving, by a teller transactioncircuit, an indication of a second amount of currency, wherein thesecond amount of currency is an expected amount of currency, comparing,by a discrepancy circuit, the first amount of currency to the secondamount of currency, discovering, by the discrepancy circuit, adiscrepancy between the first amount of currency and the second amountof currency, and transmitting, by a display circuit, discrepancyinformation to be displayed on a teller computing device.

A further example embodiment relates to an apparatus. The apparatusincludes a currency counting circuit structured to count a first amountof currency, wherein the first amount of currency is the actual amountof currency received by a teller money drawer, a teller transactioncircuit structured to receive an indication of a second amount ofcurrency, wherein the second amount of currency is an expected amount ofcurrency, a discrepancy circuit structured to compare the first amountof currency to the second amount of currency, and discover a discrepancybetween the first amount of currency and the second amount of currency,a display circuit structured to transmit discrepancy information to bedisplayed on a teller computing device.

These and other features, together with the organization and manner ofoperation thereof, will become apparent from the following detaileddescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a currency management system, accordingto an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the currency management system of FIG. 1,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method of determining a currencydiscrepancy using the currency management system of FIGS. 1-2, accordingto an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a display generated by the currency managementsystem of FIGS. 1-2, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of another display generated by the currencymanagement system of FIGS. 1-2, according to an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the Figures generally, various systems, methods, andapparatuses for facilitating currency management at a financialinstitution are described herein. More particularly, systems and methodsfor facilitating counting and reconciliation of discrepancies in theexpected amount of currency and the actual amount of currency in ateller drawer are described herein.

According to various example embodiments, as described in further detailbelow, facilitating management of currency in a financial institution inan automated system may improve the ability to count the currency moreaccurately and efficiently than is done with a manual counting andbalancing system. Unlike conventional currency management, among variousother functionality, the embodiments described herein generate ananalysis of when and during which transaction a currency discrepancy mayhave taken place. Further, the currency management system describedherein may notify a teller of a discrepancy using a display of a tellercomputing device and may additionally recommend further action based onthe discrepancy information identified.

An example implementation may be described as follows. A customer entersa financial institution (e.g., a bank branch) to conduct a transaction.During the transaction, a teller working at the financial institutionreceives currency from and/or gives currency to the customer based onthe type of transaction (e.g., deposit, withdrawal, transfer). Theteller deposits the currency into or takes the currency from a tellerdrawer, herein referred to as a drawer device. Concurrently, the tellerenters transaction information into a teller computing device, whichthen stores the transaction information into the transaction databaselocated with the financial institution computing system. After a setperiod of time (e.g., one shift, one hour, one day) and often after aplurality of transactions have occurred, the teller reconciles thedrawer device with the transactions that are stored and available forreview on the teller computing device. Specifically, the tellerreconciles the drawer device to ensure that the actual amount of fundsin the drawer device matches an expected amount of funds in the drawerdevice. Rather than count the currency in the drawer device manually,the contemplated currency management system monitors the drawer deviceat all times to identify any potential discrepancies between what isnoted in the transaction database and the amount of currency containedwithin the drawer device. Beneficially, any discrepancies may be knowncontemporaneously or substantially contemporaneously to any mismatchoccurring. Accordingly, upon detection of a problem, the currencymanagement system generates and provides a message to the tellercomputing device to display the potential discrepancy and any relatedinformation about the discrepancy.

In operation, the currency management system facilitates the real-timedisplay of currency discrepancies for each drawer device at a financialinstitution. Each teller is responsible for a particular drawer devicesuch that each teller may receive displays relating to that device.Other personnel, such as managers at the financial institution, mayreceive notifications regarding all of the drawer devices to monitor theactivity of the tellers and each of the drawers. Other embodiments mayinclude different arrangements and displays without departing from thespirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a system 100 is shown,according to an example embodiment. As described in further detailbelow, the system 100 facilitates currency management in a financialinstitution 102. Specifically, the system 100 facilitates thedetermination of discrepancy information relating to transactions in afinancial institution 102. As used herein, the term “currency” refers tofiat currency, such as paper money and coin money that is declared by agovernment to be legal tender (e.g., US Dollars, Canadian Dollars,Chinese Yuan, Euros, Japanese Yen, etc.). In some arrangements, thesystem 100 additionally facilitates the recommendation of further actionwhen a discrepancy is determined to have occurred. The system 100receives an amount of currency during a transaction between a customerand a teller at the financial institution 102. The system 100 thencounts the currency, compares the actual amount of currency to theexpected amount of currency, and facilitates the determination ofdiscrepancy information. Further, the system 100 recommends actions tobe taken based on the determination of discrepancy information, such asa manual recount of the teller drawer.

As shown, the system 100 includes a financial institution computingsystem 104 associated with a financial institution 102, the financialinstitution computing system 104 is communicably and operatively coupledto one or more teller computing devices 106 and one or more drawerdevices 108 over a network 110. The network 110 provides communicableand operative coupling between the teller computing devices 106, drawerdevices 108, and the financial institution computing system 104, andother components disclosed and described herein to provide andfacilitate the exchange of communications (e.g., data, instructions,messages, values, commands, etc.) Accordingly, the network 110 mayinclude any network including wired (e.g., Ethernet) and/or wirelessnetworks (e.g., 802.11X, ZigBee, Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.). In somearrangements, the network 110 includes the Internet. In furtherembodiments, the network 110 includes a proprietary banking network toprovide secure or substantially secure communications.

As shown, the system 100 depicts multiple teller computing devices 106(e.g., teller computing device 1, teller computing device 2, etc.) andmultiple drawer devices 108 (e.g., drawer device 1, drawer device 2,etc.). This depiction is for illustrative purposes only to show animplementation environment of the systems and methods described herein.Each of these entities may have the same or similar characteristics. Forthe purpose of clarity, the disclosure contained herein is in referenceto a single teller computing device and a single drawer device.

The teller computing device 106 includes any type of computing devicethat may be used to facilitate management of currency within thefinancial institution 102. In some arrangements, the teller uses theteller computing device 106 to assist customers of the financialinstitution 102 with in-person transactions. In this regard, the tellercomputing device 106 may include any wearable and non-wearable device.Wearable devices refer to any type of device that an individual wearsincluding, but not limited to, a watch (e.g., smart watch), glasses(e.g., eye glasses, sunglasses, smart glasses, etc.), bracelet (e.g., asmart bracelet), etc. Teller computing device 106 may also include anytype of mobile device including, but not limited to, a phone (e.g.,smart phone, etc.) and/or computing devices (e.g., desktop computer,laptop computer, personal digital assistant, etc.).

The teller computing device 106 further includes a display 120, aninput/output circuit 116, and network interface 112. The networkinterface 112 of the teller computing device 106 is adapted for andconfigured to establish a communication session via the network 110 withthe financial institution computing system 104 and the drawer device108. Accordingly, the network interface 112 includes any of a cellulartransceiver (Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System forMobile Communications (GSM), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), etc.), awireless network transceiver (e.g., 802.11X, ZigBee, Bluetooth, etc.),or a combination thereof (e.g., both a cellular transceiver and aBluetooth transceiver). In some embodiments, the network interface 112communicates via a secured wired connection within a branch of thefinancial institution 102.

The display 120 is used to present account information, transactioninformation, and the like to tellers on the teller computing device 106.In this regard, the display 120 is communicably and operatively coupledto the input/output circuit 116 to provide a user interface forreceiving and displaying information on the teller computing device 106.Examples of user interfaces are described more fully herein with regardto FIGS. 4 and 5.

The input/output circuit 116 is structured to receive and providecommunication(s) to a user (e.g., a bank teller) of the teller computingdevice 106 (or, to another entity such as the drawer device 108). Inthis regard, the input/output circuit 116 is structured to exchangedata, communications, instructions, etc. with an input/output componentof the teller computing device 106. Accordingly, in one embodiment, theinput/output circuit 116 includes an input/output device such as adisplay device, a touchscreen, a keyboard, and a microphone. In anotherembodiment, the input/output circuit 116 may include communicationcircuitry for facilitating the exchange of data, values, messages, andthe like between an input/output device and the components of the tellercomputing device 106. In yet another embodiment, the input/outputcircuit 116 may include machine-readable media for facilitating theexchange of information between the input/output device and thecomponents of the teller computing device 106. In still anotherembodiment, the input/output circuit 116 may include any combination ofhardware components (e.g., a touchscreen), communication circuitry, andmachine-readable media.

The drawer device 108 may include any type of storage device that may beused by a teller, or other financial institution personnel, to store andaccess currency at a financial institution 102. In this regard, thedrawer device 108 may include any sliding-type teller drawer used tostore currency, which can be locked and unlocked by the teller during atransaction, and may also include vault-type storage, which may be usedto store higher denominations of currency which require a more securetype of storage.

The drawer device 108 further includes a currency counting circuit 128,a currency sensor 130, and network interface 118. The network interface118 of the drawer device 108 is adapted for and configured to establisha communication session via the network 110 with the financialinstitution computing system 104 and the teller computing device 106.Accordingly, the network interface 118 includes any of a cellulartransceiver (Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System forMobile Communications (GSM), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), etc.), awireless network transceiver (e.g., 802.11X, ZigBee, Bluetooth, etc.),or a combination thereof (e.g., both a cellular transceiver and aBluetooth transceiver). In some embodiments, the network interface 118communicates via a secured wired connection within a branch of thefinancial institution 102.

The currency sensor 130 is structured to receive the currency depositedinto the drawer device 108, count the currency, and communicate theamount of currency to the currency counting circuit 128. In this regard,the currency sensor 130 is communicably and operatively coupled to thecurrency counting circuit 128 to facilitate the process. The currencysensor 130 includes any type of sensor to count the currency. In someembodiments, the currency sensor 130 includes paper money countersstructured to count paper money by mechanically pulling each billthrough the sensor and by counting the number bills and types of bills(e.g., by scanning identifying codes, by interpreting the number oftimes a beam of light is interrupted, by comparing an image of each billto pattern recognition criteria, etc.). Accordingly, in someembodiments, the currency sensor 130 distinguishes between thedenominations of bills and/or the type of currency (e.g., US Dollars,Canadian Dollars, etc.). In some embodiments, the currency sensor 130includes coin counters structured to both sort and count coinssimultaneously (e.g., by scanning identifying codes, by interpreting thenumber of times a beam of light is interrupted, by comparing an image ofeach coin to pattern recognition criteria, etc.). In furtherembodiments, the currency sensor 130 is additionally equipped todistinguish genuine currency from counterfeit currency.

The currency counting circuit 128 is structured to receive the countedcurrency amount from the currency sensor 130 and communicate thatinformation to the teller computing device 106. In this regard, thecurrency counting circuit 128 is communicably and operatively coupled tothe currency sensor 130 and the teller computing device 106. In oneembodiment, the currency counting circuit 128 includes various hardwarecomponents, such as a transmitter, to facilitate the sending of currencyamount information to the currency management system 146 via the network110. In another embodiment, the currency counting circuit 128 includescommunication circuitry including, but not limited to, wired andwireless communication protocol to facilitate transmission of thecurrency amount information from the currency sensor 130 to the currencymanagement system 146. In yet another embodiment, the currency countingcircuit 128 includes any combination of hardware components (e.g., atransmitter) and communication circuitry.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the system 100 includes the financialinstitution computing system 104. The financial institution computingsystem 104 includes a network interface 138, which is used to establishconnections with other components of the system 100 by way of network110. The network interface 138 includes program logic that facilitatesconnection of the financial institution computing system 104 to thenetwork 110. The network interface 138 supports communication betweenthe financial institution computing system 104 and other systems, suchas the teller computing device 106 and the drawer device 108. Forexample, the network interface 138 includes a cellular modem, aBluetooth transceiver, a Bluetooth beacon, a radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) transceiver, and a near-field communication (NFC)transmitter. In some embodiments, the network interface 138 communicatesvia a secured wired connection within a branch of the financialinstitution 102. In some arrangements, the network interface 138includes the hardware and machine-readable media sufficient to supportcommunication over multiple channels of data communication. Further, insome arrangements, the network interface 138 includes cryptographycapabilities to establish a secure or relatively secure communicationsession with the financial institution computing system 104, tellercomputing device 106, and drawer device 108. In this regard, financialdata (or other types of data) may be encrypted and transmitted toprevent or substantially prevent the threat of hacking.

The financial institution computing system 104 further includes anaccounts database 142. The accounts database 142 is configured to hold,store, categorize, and otherwise serve as a repository for informationassociated with accounts held by the financial institution 102. Forexample, the accounts database 142 may store account numbers, accountbalances, account ownership information, and the like. The accountsdatabase 142 is structured to selectively provide access to informationrelating to an account at the financial institution 102. In this regard,as discussed further herein, the accounts database 142 is communicablyand operatively coupled to the currency management system 146 to provideaccess to such information, such that the currency management system 146may facilitate the determination of discrepancies in actual currency andexpected currency at the financial institution 102 and recommend furtheraction based on that information.

The financial institution computing system 104 further includes atransaction database 148. The transaction database 148 is configured tohold, store, categorize, and otherwise serve as a repository fortransaction information. The transaction database 148 is structured toselectively provide access to information relating to one or moretransactions that occur at a financial institution 102. In this regard,the transaction database 148 is communicably and operatively coupled tothe currency management system 146 to provide access to suchinformation, such that the currency management system 146 may use thatinformation to determine during which transaction a currency discrepancyhas taken place. Such processes are described more fully herein below.

As used herein, “transaction information” may include any informationthat a teller at a financial institution 102 may enter on a tellercomputing device 106 during a transaction process with a customer. Insome arrangements, the transaction information includes an amount ofcurrency deposited into or an amount of currency withdrawn from anaccount at the financial institution, the time of the transaction, theaccount number involved with the transaction, the name of the accountholder, and a unique transaction number that can be used to identify theparticular transaction.

The financial institution computing system 104 includes a currencymanagement system 146 for managing a currency counting and balancingprocess at the financial institution 102. The currency management system146 is structured to count the accepted currency, receive transactioninformation including the amount of currency deposited or withdrawn froman account, and discover discrepancies between the actual amount ofcurrency in a teller drawer and the expected amount of currency. In someembodiments, the currency management system 146 uses the transactioninformation to recommend further action to be taken by a teller when adiscrepancy is discovered. The currency management system 146 may beconfigured to use transaction and account information stored in thetransaction database 148 and accounts database 142, respectively, todetermine which options and/or recommendations to provide to a tellerwhen a discrepancy is discovered, according to an example embodiment.Further, in some arrangements, the currency management system 146 isconfigured to transmit a message for display to a teller computingsystem reflecting recommendations for further action.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a diagram of the currency management system 146and part of the financial institution computing system 104 is shownaccording to an example embodiment. As shown, financial institutioncomputing system 104 includes a processing circuit 122 having aprocessor 124 and a memory 126. The processor 124 may be implemented asa general-purpose processor, an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), a digitalsignal processor (DSP), a group of processing components, or othersuitable electronic processing components. The one or more memorydevices 126 (e.g., RAM, NVRAM, ROM, Flash Memory, hard disk storage,etc.) may store data and/or computer code for facilitating the variousprocesses described herein. Moreover, the one or more memory devices 126may be or include tangible, non-transient volatile memory ornon-volatile memory. Accordingly, the one or more memory devices 126 mayinclude database components, object code components, script components,or any other type of information structure for supporting the variousactivities and information structures described herein.

The currency management system 146 may be embodied with the financialinstitution computing system 104. Accordingly, in some arrangements, thecurrency management system 146 may be embodied or at least partlyembodied in the memory 126, where at least some operations may beexecutable from the processing circuit 122. As described above, thecurrency management system 146 facilitates counting and balancingcurrency in a drawer device 108 at the financial institution 102. Thecurrency management system 146 determines when and during whichtransactions discrepancies in the expected and actual currency occur fora drawer device 108. Beneficially, such a system may facilitateefficient and accurate determinations of how and when discrepancies incurrency at the financial institution 102 occur.

The currency management system 146 is shown to include a tellertransaction circuit 202, a discrepancy circuit 204, a display circuit206, and a recommendation circuit 208, with all such circuitscommunicably coupled to each other. Other embodiments may include moreor less circuits without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure. Further, some embodiments may combine the activitiesof one circuit with another circuit to form a single circuit. Therefore,those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the presentarrangement is not meant to be limiting.

The teller transaction circuit 202 is structured to receive informationfrom the transaction database 148 regarding transaction information fromtransactions that occur at the financial institution 102. The tellertransaction circuit 202 is additionally structured to receiveinformation from a drawer device 108 regarding the amount of currencythat has been counted by the currency sensor 130. Further, the tellertransaction circuit 202 is structured to communicate the receivedinformation to the discrepancy circuit 204. In this regard, in oneembodiment, the teller transaction circuit 202 is communicably andoperatively coupled to the transaction database 148 to receive theinformation regarding an expected amount of currency and to a drawerdevice 108 to receive information regarding an actual amount of currencythat is in the drawer device 108. In further embodiments, the tellertransaction circuit 202 is additionally communicably and operativelycoupled to the discrepancy circuit 204 to communicate the transactioninformation and currency counting information to the discrepancy circuit204 for evaluation and discrepancy identification.

The discrepancy circuit 204 is structured to identify potentialdiscrepancies in currency and determine when they may have occurred. Thediscrepancy circuit 204 compares an expected amount of currency to anactual amount of currency contained in a drawer device 108. Thediscrepancy circuit 204 receives information regarding the actual andexpected amounts of currency from the teller transaction circuit 202 asmentioned above. This information may relate to a set time period, suchas receiving transaction information for transactions occurring during aspecific teller shift, hour, or day, etc. In some embodiments, thediscrepancy circuit 204 is further be structured to communicate theidentified discrepancies and information relating to the discrepancies(e.g., transaction information, account information) to the displaycircuit 206 so that the display circuit 206 generates a message to bedisplayed on a teller computing device 106. In this regard, thediscrepancy circuit 204 may be communicably and operatively coupled tothe teller transaction circuit 202 and to the display circuit 206.

The display circuit 206 is structured to generate and provide a messageto the teller computing device 106 to display one or more sets ofdiscrepancy information identified by the discrepancy circuit 204. Insome arrangements, the display circuit 206 is also structured togenerate and provide a message to the teller computing device 106regarding possible further action that the teller may need to take. Inthis regard, the display circuit 206 may be communicably and operativelycoupled to the discrepancy circuit 204 and the recommendation circuit208.

The display circuit 206 is configured to create, generate, establish,update, and maintain a discrepancy list of all identified potentialdiscrepancies and any information associated therewith. Accordingly, inone embodiment, the display circuit 206 includes a list generating tool.In another embodiment, the display circuit 206 includes communicationcircuitry for facilitating the exchange of information between and amongthe display circuit 206 and any other circuitry or logic. In yet anotherembodiment, the display circuit 206 includes any combination ofmachine-readable media, list generating tool, and communicationcircuitry. In further embodiments, the display includes a list ofdiscrepancy information, wherein a teller (or any user of the tellercomputing device 106 may observe or search the list for informationassociated with the identified discrepancies. Information included inthe list may include, but is not limited to, the drawer device 108 fromwhich the amount of actual currency was counted, an identification of atransaction number associated with the discrepancy, the identified timethat the discrepancy occurred, expected currency amount, and the actualcurrency amount.

The recommendation circuit 208 is structured to provide at least onerecommended action based on the discrepancy information identified for aparticular drawer device 108. In some arrangements, the recommendedaction is provided via the display 120 on the teller computing device106. In this regard, the recommendation circuit 208 is communicably andoperatively coupled to the display circuit 206 to facilitate the displayof the recommended action on a teller computing device 106. Theinformation provided with a recommended action may specify the drawerdevice 108 where the currency discrepancy was identified and at leastone recommended action. As an example of a recommended action, therecommendation circuit 208 provides a recommendation for a “manualrecount” of the drawer 1 contents. As another example, if there is adiscrepancy in both drawer 1 and drawer 2 and the amount in drawer 1 is$100 less than expected and drawer 2 is $100 more than expected, thenthe recommended action states to “check drawer 2 for surplus.”

Referring now to FIG. 3, an example method of managing, counting, andbalancing currency in a drawer device at a financial institution isdepicted. Method 300 may be implemented by the currency managementsystem 146 of FIGS. 1-2, such that reference may be made to one or morecomponents of FIGS. 1-2 in explaining method 300.

A first amount of currency is counted at 302. In some arrangements, thecurrency management system 146 counts the first amount of currencycontained within a drawer device 108 (e.g., through the currencycounting circuit 128 and the currency sensor 130). As mentioned above,counting currency within the drawer device 108 may be performed using acurrency sensor 130. As noted, the currency sensor 130 may count papermoney by either electrical or mechanical means, or by employing bothmechanical and electrical functionality. The currency sensor 130 mayadditionally be equipped to distinguish denominations and/or types ofcurrency. In addition to counting paper money, the currency sensor 130may include a coin counter. Furthermore, a currency counterfeitdetermination mechanism may be used in combination with the currencysensor 130. Once the currency sensor 130 has counted the currency(including coins and paper money), the currency counting circuit 128receives the first amount of currency. As noted, the first amount ofcurrency is the actual amount of currency in the drawer device 108 thatis compared to the expected amount of currency (referred to as the“second amount of currency”).

An indication of a second amount of currency is received at 304. In somearrangements, the teller transaction circuit 202 receives the indicationof the second amount of currency. As mentioned above, the tellertransaction circuit 202 may receive transaction information from thetransaction database 148. The transaction information may include thesecond amount of currency (e.g., the expected amount of currency), alongwith other information relating to the transaction between the customerand the teller at the financial institution. For example, when atransaction occurs at the financial institution, the customer maydeposit a certain amount of money (e.g., $100) and the teller may enterinto the teller computing device 106 that the amount of money has beendeposited by the customer, thus denoting the expected amount ofcurrency. In some embodiments, the second amount of currency may includea total netted amount of expected currency at the end of a set timeperiod (e.g., at the end of a teller shift, end of each hour, end ofeach day).

The first amount of currency is compared to the second amount ofcurrency at 306. In some arrangements, the discrepancy circuit 204compares the first amount of currency to the second amount of currency.As mentioned above, the discrepancy circuit 204 may receive transactioninformation from the teller transaction circuit 202 indicating a second(or expected) amount of currency and a first (or actual) amount ofcurrency. The discrepancy circuit 204 may then compare the amounts toidentify a discrepancy between the amounts.

A discrepancy between the first amount of currency and the second amountof currency is discovered at 308. The discrepancy circuit 204 discoversthe discrepancy between the first amount of currency and second amountof currency. As mentioned, using the transaction information receivedfrom the teller transaction circuit 202, the discrepancy circuit 204 mayperform an analysis to determine that a discrepancy exists between theexpected and actual amounts of currency. A discrepancy between the firstamount of currency and the second amount of currency includes that theamounts do not match (e.g., a first amount of currency is $100 and asecond amount of currency is $1000).

A first point in time when the discrepancy between the first amount ofcurrency and the second amount of currency occurred is determined at310. In some arrangements, the discrepancy circuit 204 determines thefirst point in time when the discrepancy occurred. As mentioned above,the currency management system 146 may be communicably and operativelycoupled to the transaction database 148. The transaction database 148stores information regarding the transactions that take place at thefinancial institution. Specifically, the transaction database 148 maystore information regarding the transaction numbers, the time at whichthe transactions took place, and the amounts of currency deposited orwithdrawn during those transactions. As noted above, the transactioninformation received from the transaction database 148 includesinformation relating to a set time period, such as receiving transactioninformation for transactions occurring during a specific teller shift,hour, or day, etc. The discrepancy circuit 204 may additionally receiveinformation regarding transactions on a time-period basis (e.g., a sweepof data may occur every teller shift change, every hour, every fewhours, etc.) from the teller transaction circuit 202. By taking intoconsideration the transaction information including, but not limited to,the transaction times and amounts of currency deposited and/orwithdrawn, the discrepancy circuit 204 identifies a point in time atwhich there was first a discrepancy between the expected amount ofcurrency and the actual amount of currency in a particular drawer device108.

Discrepancy information associated with the discrepancy is determined at312. In some arrangements, the discrepancy circuit 204 determinesfurther discrepancy information. Similar to process 310, the discrepancycircuit 204 may be in communication with the teller transaction circuit202 to receive transaction information. In some embodiments, part ofthis transaction information includes the account information relatingto the transaction during which the discrepancy potentially occurred. Inthis regard, detailed account information is additionally received bythe teller transaction circuit 202 from the accounts database 142.Furthermore, in some embodiments, the discrepancy circuit 204 usestransaction information to determine errors in teller data entry. Forexample, the teller accepts a $1000 deposit and incorrectly types intothe teller computing device 106 that $100 was deposited, resulting in atypographical mistake. In yet another embodiment, the discrepancycircuit determines other potential sources of teller errors. Forexample, the teller may drop a coin and/or bill or may deliver morecurrency to a customer than is due. In some embodiments, the discrepancycircuit 204 determines that such a teller error may be the source of thediscrepancy if the discrepancy is not a large amount. In otherembodiments, the discrepancy circuit 204 does not use the discrepancybetween the expected and actual currency to determine that teller erroris the potential source of the discrepancy. Thus, in some arrangements,the discrepancy circuit 204 uses all information received from thetransaction database 142 to determine further discrepancy information.

Discrepancy information to be displayed on a teller computing device istransmitted at 314. In some arrangements, the display circuit 206transmits the discrepancy information to be displayed on the tellercomputing device 106. The display circuit 206 generates and provides amessage to the teller computing device 106 to display the discrepancyinformation that is determined by the discrepancy circuit 204. Asmentioned above, the display circuit 206 is communicably and operativelycoupled to the discrepancy circuit 204 to receive identified discrepancyinformation. As mentioned above, the display circuit 206 creates,generates, establishes, updates, and maintains a list of potentialdiscrepancies and any information associated therewith. The displayincludes a list of such information, wherein a teller (or any otheruser) using the teller computing device 106 may observe or search thelist for information associated with the potential discrepancies.

A prompt for further action to be displayed on the teller computingdevice is transmitted at 316. In some arrangements, the display circuit206 in combination with the recommendation circuit 208 transmits theprompt for further action to be displayed on the teller computing device106. The recommendation circuit 208 may determine any possible furtheraction that a teller may be able to take in regard to an identifieddiscrepancy and relay that information to the display circuit 206 totransmit to the teller computing device 106. The display circuit 206generates and provides a message to the teller computing device 106 todisplay the recommended further action. As mentioned above, recommendedactions include, but are not limited to, a manual recount of thecontents of a drawer device 108 and checking other drawer devices formissing or misplaced currency.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an example user interface 400 showingdiscrepancy information details for a plurality of drawer devices isshown, according to an example embodiment. The user interface 400 is anexample user interface that can be presented to a teller via thecurrency management system 146. The user interface 400 allows a tellerto view potential discrepancies that have occurred during a set timeperiod (e.g., the shift of the teller, an hour, a few hours, etc.).

The user interface 400 displays a drawer device number 402. The drawerdevice number 402 indicates the drawer device that may have a potentialdiscrepancy identified by the currency management system 146. As notedabove, in some embodiments, the teller viewing the user interface 400may only see the discrepancy information relating to the drawer devicefor which they are responsible. In other embodiments, the user interface400 displays multiple drawer devices 402.

The user interface 400 further displays an expected currency amount 404for each drawer device 402. The expected currency amount 404 isdetermined by the teller transaction circuit 202 using information fromthe transaction database 148. The expected currency amount 404 is theamount that the teller enters into the teller computing device 106during a transaction with the customer. This information may be storedin the transaction database 148 for later use in the currency managementsystem 146.

The user interface 400 further displays an actual currency amount 406for each drawer device 402. The actual currency amount 406 is determinedby the teller transaction circuit 202 using information from the drawerdevice 108, and in particular from the currency counting circuit 128.The currency sensor 130 counts the money within a particular drawerdevice 108 (e.g., drawer device 1, drawer device 2, etc.) and thecurrency counting circuit 128 receives that information and communicatesit to the teller transaction circuit 202 within the currency managementsystem 146. The actual currency amount 406 is the actual paper money andcoins the teller receives and places into a drawer device during atransaction with the customer. In some embodiments, the actual currencyamount 406 includes a total netted amount of currency at the end of aset time period.

For a given drawer device 402, the user interface 400 further displays asuspected transaction number 408. The suspected transaction number 408indicates the transaction during which a potential discrepancy may haveoccurred. The suspected transaction number 408 is determined by thediscrepancy circuit 204 using information received from the tellertransaction circuit 202. Additionally, for a given drawer device 402,the user interface 400 further provides a suspected time 410 indicatingthe first time at which a discrepancy may have occurred. The suspectedtime 410 may be related to the suspected transaction number 408 and maybe used by the currency management system 146 to determine during whichtransaction number 408 a potential discrepancy may have occurred.

Referring now to FIG. 5 with reference to FIG. 4, a further pop-upwindow of details on recommended action is shown, according to anexample embodiment. The pop-up window shown in FIG. 5 is displayed if ateller (or other user) selects a particular drawer device from thelisted items in FIG. 4. For example, if a user selects the row for“drawer 1” in FIG. 4, the user interface 400 opens a further pop-upwindow (e.g., recommended action user interface 500) with furtherrecommended action options. If the user selects “drawer 1,” the currencymanagement system 146 generates a recommended action user interface 500in the form of a pop-up window. The recommended action user interface500 includes a drawer device number 502 and a list of recommendedactions 504.

As shown, the drawer device number 502 displays the name or number ofthe drawer device 108 selected from the user interface 400.Additionally, the list of recommended actions 504 displays the optionsfor a user (e.g., teller) to take after a potential discrepancy has beenidentified by the currency management system 146. For example, the listof recommended actions 504 for Drawer 1 includes “1. Check Drawer 2 forSurplus” and “2. Manual Recount” options. Thus, in this example, theteller may either decide to go to drawer 2 to check if the currency hasbeen misplaced or may do a manual recount of the currency. As mentionedwith regard to FIG. 4, the teller may be aware of the amount ofdiscrepancy such that a recount of the drawer should match thatdiscrepancy (e.g., for drawer 1, the amount of discrepancy was found bythe currency management system 146 to be $110.)

The embodiments described herein have been described with reference todrawings. The drawings illustrate certain details of specificembodiments that implement the systems, methods and programs describedherein. However, describing the embodiments with drawings should not beconstrued as imposing on the disclosure any limitations that may bepresent in the drawings.

It should be understood that no claim element herein is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), unless the element isexpressly recited using the phrase “means for.”

As used herein, the term “circuit” may include hardware structured toexecute the functions described herein. In some embodiments, eachrespective “circuit” may include machine-readable media for configuringthe hardware to execute the functions described herein. The circuit maybe embodied as one or more circuitry components including, but notlimited to, processing circuitry, network interfaces, peripheraldevices, input devices, output devices, sensors, etc. In someembodiments, a circuit may take the form of one or more analog circuits,electronic circuits (e.g., integrated circuits (IC), discrete circuits,system on a chip (SOCs) circuits, etc.), telecommunication circuits,hybrid circuits, and any other type of “circuit.” In this regard, the“circuit” may include any type of component for accomplishing orfacilitating achievement of the operations described herein. Forexample, a circuit as described herein may include one or moretransistors, logic gates (e.g., NAND, AND, NOR, OR, XOR, NOT, XNOR,etc.), resistors, multiplexers, registers, capacitors, inductors,diodes, wiring, and so on).

The “circuit” may also include one or more dedicated processorscommunicatively coupled to one or more dedicated memory or memorydevices. In this regard, the one or more processors may executeinstructions stored in the memory or may execute instructions otherwiseaccessible to the one or more processors. In some embodiments, the oneor more processors may be embodied in various ways. The one or moreprocessors may be constructed in a manner sufficient to perform at leastthe operations described herein. In some embodiments, the one or moreprocessors may be shared by multiple circuits (e.g., circuit A andcircuit B may comprise or otherwise share the same processor which, insome example embodiments, may execute instructions stored, or otherwiseaccessed, via different areas of memory). Alternatively or additionally,the one or more processors may be structured to perform or otherwiseexecute certain operations independent of one or more co-processors. Inother example embodiments, two or more processors may be coupled via abus to enable independent, parallel, pipelined, or multi-threadedinstruction execution. Each processor may be implemented as one or moregeneral-purpose processors, application specific integrated circuits(ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signalprocessors (DSPs), or other suitable electronic data processingcomponents structured to execute instructions provided by memory. Theone or more processors may take the form of a single core processor,multi-core processor (e.g., a dual core processor, triple coreprocessor, quad core processor, etc.), microprocessor, etc.

An example system for implementing the overall system or portions of theembodiments might include a general purpose computing computers in theform of computers, including a processing unit, a system memory, and asystem bus that couples various system components including the systemmemory to the processing unit. Each memory device may includenon-transient volatile storage media, non-volatile storage media,non-transitory storage media (e.g., one or more volatile and/ornon-volatile memories), etc. In some embodiments, the non-volatile mediamay take the form of ROM, flash memory (e.g., flash memory such as NAND,3D NAND, NOR, 3D NOR, etc.), EEPROM, MRAIVI, magnetic storage, harddiscs, optical discs, etc. In other embodiments, the volatile storagemedia may take the form of RAM, TRAM, ZRAM, etc. Combinations of theabove are also included within the scope of machine-readable media. Inthis regard, machine-executable instructions comprise, for example,instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or special purpose processing machines to perform acertain function or group of functions. Each respective memory devicemay be operable to maintain or otherwise store information relating tothe operations performed by one or more associated circuits, includingprocessor instructions and related data (e.g., database components,object code components, script components, etc.), in accordance with theexample embodiments described herein.

It should also be noted that the term “input devices,” as describedherein, may include any type of input device including, but not limitedto, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, joystick or other input devicesperforming a similar function. Comparatively, the term “output device,”as described herein, may include any type of output device including,but not limited to, a computer monitor, printer, facsimile machine, orother output devices performing a similar function.

Any foregoing references to currency or funds are intended to includefiat currencies, non-fiat currencies (e.g., precious metals), andmath-based currencies (often referred to as cryptocurrencies). Examplesof math-based currencies include Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and thelike.

It should be noted that although the diagrams herein may show a specificorder and composition of method steps, it is understood that the orderof these steps may differ from what is depicted. For example, two ormore steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence.Also, some method steps that are performed as discrete steps may becombined, steps being performed as a combined step may be separated intodiscrete steps, the sequence of certain processes may be reversed orotherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete processes may bealtered or varied. The order or sequence of any element or apparatus maybe varied or substituted according to alternative embodiments.Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included withinthe scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.Such variations will depend on the machine-readable media and hardwaresystems chosen and on designer choice. It is understood that all suchvariations are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, softwareand web implementations of the present disclosure could be accomplishedwith standard programming techniques with rule based logic and otherlogic to accomplish the various database searching steps, correlationsteps, comparison steps and decision steps.

The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented for purposesof illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive orto limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed, and modificationsand variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may beacquired from this disclosure. The embodiments were chosen and describedin order to explain the principals of the disclosure and its practicalapplication to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Other substitutions, modifications, changesand omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions andarrangement of the embodiments without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure as expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a currency counting device;and a processing circuit communicably coupled to the currency countingdevice, the processing circuit comprising a processor and memory, thememory structured to store instructions that are executable by theprocessor and cause the processing circuit to: cause a first amount ofcurrency to be counted by the currency counting device, wherein thefirst amount of currency is the actual amount of currency received by afirst teller money drawer; receive an indication of a second amount ofcurrency, wherein the second amount of currency is an expected amount ofcurrency; compare the first amount of currency to the second amount ofcurrency; discover a discrepancy between the first amount of currencyand the second amount of currency, wherein the discrepancy is that thefirst amount of currency is a discrepancy amount different than thesecond amount of currency; determine a transaction number identifying atransaction during which the discrepancy occurred; determine that ateller error is a potential source of the discrepancy based on thediscrepancy amount being below a threshold; determine a list ofrecommended actions based on the discrepancy, the list of recommendedactions including checking a second teller money drawer for a surplus ofcurrency corresponding to the discrepancy; transmit discrepancyinformation, including the transaction number and an indication that theteller error is the potential source of the discrepancy based on thediscrepancy amount being below the threshold, to be displayed on ateller computing device; and transmit the list of recommended actions tobe displayed on the teller computing device, wherein the tellercomputing device is a wearable device.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe processing circuit is further caused to determine a first point intime when the discrepancy between the first amount of currency and thesecond amount of currency occurred.
 3. The system of claim 2, whereinthe discrepancy information includes the first point in time when thediscrepancy between the first amount of currency and the second amountof currency occurred.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processingcircuit is further caused to determine an account associated with thediscrepancy.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the discrepancyinformation includes at least one of an account number of the accountassociated with the discrepancy and the name of an account holder of theaccount associated with the discrepancy.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the first amount of currency includes at least one of coins andpaper money.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the list of recommendedactions further includes a recount of the first amount of currency.
 8. Amethod comprising: counting, by a currency counting circuit, a firstamount of currency, wherein the first amount of currency is the actualamount of currency received by a first teller money drawer; receiving,by a teller transaction circuit, an indication of a second amount ofcurrency, wherein the second amount of currency is an expected amount ofcurrency; comparing, by a discrepancy circuit, the first amount ofcurrency to the second amount of currency; discovering, by thediscrepancy circuit, a discrepancy between the first amount of currencyand the second amount of currency, wherein the discrepancy is that thefirst amount of currency is a discrepancy amount different than thesecond amount of currency; determining, by the discrepancy circuit, atransaction number identifying a transaction during which thediscrepancy occurred; determining that a teller error is a potentialsource of the discrepancy based on the discrepancy amount being below athreshold; determining, by a recommendation circuit, a list ofrecommended actions based on the discrepancy, the list of recommendedactions including checking a second teller money drawer for a surplus ofcurrency corresponding to the discrepancy; transmitting, by a displaycircuit, discrepancy information including the transaction number and anindication that the teller error is the potential source of thediscrepancy based on the discrepancy amount being below the threshold,to be displayed on a teller computing device; and transmitting, by thediscrepancy circuit, the list of recommended actions to be displayed onthe teller computing device; wherein the teller computing device is awearable device.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprisingdetermining, by the discrepancy circuit, a first point in time when thediscrepancy between the first amount of currency and the second amountof currency occurred.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the discrepancyinformation includes the first point in time when the discrepancybetween the first amount of currency and the second amount of currencyoccurred.
 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, bythe discrepancy circuit, an account associated with the discrepancy. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein the discrepancy information includes atleast one of an account number of the account associated with thediscrepancy and the name of an account holder of the account associatedwith the discrepancy.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the firstamount of currency includes at least one of coins and paper money. 14.The method of claim 8, wherein the list of recommended actions furtherincludes a recount of the first amount of currency.
 15. An apparatus,comprising: a currency counting circuit structured to count a firstamount of currency, wherein the first amount of currency is the actualamount of currency received by a first teller money drawer; a tellertransaction circuit structured to receive an indication of a secondamount of currency, wherein the second amount of currency is an expectedamount of currency; a discrepancy circuit structured to: compare thefirst amount of currency to the second amount of currency; discover adiscrepancy between the first amount of currency and the second amountof currency, wherein the discrepancy is that the first amount ofcurrency is a discrepancy amount different than the second amount ofcurrency; determine a transaction number identifying a transactionduring which the discrepancy occurred; and determine that a teller erroris a potential source of the discrepancy based on the discrepancy amountbeing below a threshold; a recommendation circuit structured todetermine a list of recommended actions based on the discrepancy, thelist of recommended actions including checking a second teller moneydrawer for a surplus of currency corresponding to the discrepancy; and adisplay circuit structured to transmit discrepancy information and thelist of recommended actions to be displayed on a teller computingdevice, the discrepancy information including the transaction number andan indication that the teller error is the potential source of thediscrepancy based on the discrepancy amount being below the threshold;wherein the teller computing device is a wearable device.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 15, wherein the list of recommended actions furtherincludes a recount of the first amount of currency.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 15, wherein the discrepancy circuit is further structured todetermine a first point in time when the discrepancy between the firstamount of currency and the second amount of currency occurred.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 15, wherein the discrepancy circuit is furtherstructured to determine an account associated with the discrepancy. 19.The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the discrepancy information includesat least one of an account number of the account associated with thediscrepancy and the name of an account holder of the account associatedwith the discrepancy.